Crack the TikTok Shop Code: How To Get Started, Best Practices, and More

howdy folks! happy MONDAY! this was supposed to hit last night, but my internet went out so womp womp. i know we have not spoken in a while, but i hope that Q4 hasn’t been tooooo stressful and that you’re remembering to take some time for yourself, especially in the craziness of the world we live in lately.

we officially have over 1,600+ folks reading this newsletter every week which is pretty dang awesome. i started this in january with no clue of where it was going to go so if you open this, reply, or ever share these, just know i appreciate the heck outta you.

this week’s topic is a continuation of a newsletter I wrote the other week and one that continues to become a part of my weekly consulting calls and that subject is: tiktok shop.

whether you’re a brand on using tiktok shop or literally are like “wtf” when it comes to even getting started, you’ll be able to get something out of this newsletter. i pinky promise.

we’ll breakdown:

• what tiktok shop even is

• a step-by-step of how to get your shop set-up (it can be a headache and a half based on personal experience)

• ways that people can shop your products on tiktok in general (shoppable ads, how to add links to videos)

• best practices for tiktok shop (ex. should you make a SKU only exclusively for tiktok shop? how do you optimize your page correctly to avoid getting violations?)

P.S. When I wrote this it was pretty late, so if there are typos just remember that no one is perfect <333

BEFORE WE GET IT INTO IT…

Are you a brand looking to finally get your ducks in a row when it comes to Tiktok Shop? Are you a brand who has been on the platform, but is spending way too much time on Tiktok Shop that could be put in other places?

Well, my friends (and today’s sponsor!!) at Superfiliate are here to help you with your ambassador and affiliate program management as always, but now they are one of the FIRST platforms to be a beta partner of Tiktok Shop.

Tiktok Shop is the hottest kid on the block, but getting it set up, managed, getting people to be affiliates, understanding how to optimize content (for your account and made by your affiliates) and more can quickly become overwhelming and scale up into multiple full time jobs.

That’s why I am excited to say that with Superfiliate’s integration you can officially have all your Tiktok Shop needs in one place.

If you’re a brand who is:

• Looking for creators, big or small, who would be good to create content and be affiliates for your brand on Tiktok for your product

• Wanting to discover 1,000s of target creators in minutes without the hassle of always having to sit and scroll for hours on end

• Seed out product effectively since sending product is the literal backbone to a tiktok shop affiliate program

• Wanting to see all the content created by your Tiktok Shop affiliates or by your team in one spot easily

  • Their new Video Dashboard allows you to see performance metrics and trends, helping you understand which content drives engagement and conversions over time for all the video content created. The dashboard provides insights into video effectiveness, making it easier to gauge content impact and optimize your campaigns and what talking points might need to be featured more.

• Sick of wasting time with 1-on-1 outreach and be able to send a message out at scale to creators

  • They just launched their new Autopilot Invite function which sends collaboration invites daily to creators who match your specified filters in TikTok Shop. Once set, Autopilot continuously updates the list of eligible creators based on your chosen criteria, sending invites each day without needing further manual input. This lets you maintain a steady outreach flow with minimal effort. If there’s one thing I know, there are brands reaching out 1,500 FOLKS A DAY.

• Not sure what’s working exactly, but know it’s a good channel for your brand? Superfiliate helps you double down on your top performers and uncover insights on what is actually driving success.

Superfiliate’s new integration could be answer and especially if you’re just looking for a one-stop shop to be able to manage this, your brand’s affiliate program and ambassador program all in one spot. I’ve actually been in charge of managing Graza’s ambassador program, paid influencer program and now have been getting our Tiktok Shop set-up (finally) and running with their help so that I can easily have one spot to see everything without having to lose my mind across 49394 tabs. It’s also great because the brand team uses it to handle all referral marketing as well.

As 2025 approaches (eek!), I want to make sure that anyone reading this gets to test some of my favorite platforms out sooooo Superfiliate is actually giving you your first month for FREE.

Click here to schedule a call to chat with Paul, Anders, and the rest of the team now.

WHAT IS TIKTOK SHOP?!

To some it may be easy, but if you’re a new brand, it can seem like everything these days is a tiktok shop ad or push and some times it is, but tiktok shop is just a feature in the crazy world of the social platform. Tiktok shop allows users with business accounts to sell directly on the platform. With tiktok shop, brands or independent sellers (ex. etsy store owners) can transform their organic tiktok accounts into a digital storefront, combining your shoppable video with the power of your organic tiktok marketing.

Sure, the main benefit is that as your account scales, you now have another income stream for your business potentially and an easier touchpoint for your customer to immediately purchase vs. finding you own tiktok, having to go to your site, and on and on.

Other benefits of setting up shop include:

• being able to get your product in front of a wide demo of potential shoppers easily, especially if it fits a popular niche market like the candy eaters of the world or fashion where people who don’t want to spend the $150+ on the popular Sezane sweater can now easily buy the dupe that has been living on my FYP day and night.

• partnering with trusted creators and customers to have content produced at scale around your product(s)

• creating a personalize shopping experience based on user behavior

How To Set Up Your Tiktok Shop in 4 Steps

Some of you might have read my interview around Tiktok Shop 101 here, but today we’re tackling the details of set-up because like Meta there are multiple backends you need to access.

1. Set up your online store.

The easiest way to get your store set-up is through Shopify, in my experience. If your brand is built on Shopify, you can easily connect your store directly to Tiktok to correctly manage inventory, sales, and advertising efforts. If you’re on another selling platform, you can still use it, but it might just vary in set up. If you are on Shopify, I would just install the Tiktok for Shopify app on your backend.

2. Connect Your Tiktok Biz Account

Next, you need to obviously connect your store to your Tiktok Business account. If you don’t have one, just head to Tiktok for Business and set one up. Why is a business account different? Well, it allows you to have more in-depth analytics and we sure do love some data, but you also get access to Tiktok Ads Manager.

3. Register for Tiktok Shop

Please note that Tiktok Shop is not available in all markets and countries. All you have to do is head to the seller registration portal, fill out the app and upload required docs, and then you should ideally get accepted within 24-48 hours.

4. Promote Your Shop

Getting your shop set-up isn’t where it just ends and hoping people find it. It’s on you to make it known it exists and that you exist. Tiktok Shop only works if you also have a Tiktok strategy for your organic channel to support it and ways of getting off of your account to enhance your marketing strategy (ex. leveraging creators).

How Your Customers Can Shop Your Products on Tiktok

This is where I see most people get confused. With affiliates linking on videos, brands linking on their own channels, and more, it can get overwhelming to understand the roll out of a Tiktok shop and knowing what needs to go in on the backend to form a good deal.

Here are 5 quick ways that folks can shop your brand on Tiktok without having to leave the app:

1. Live Shopping:

   • While you’re scrolling, you’ve probably seen random folks trying to sell you products on Tiktok Shop like desk treadmills, random food items, or clothing or beauty prducts on Tiktok live. Live Shopping had it’s time on IG, but now it’s very much alive on Tiktok and is a huge lever you can pull for the app, but it’s not for the faint of heart. I love live shopping because it is just a reminder of how important customer service is to a degree. For example, you’re able to answer questions in real time, show how your product works, and more. It also makes the shopping experience for a customer so easy as they can add your item to a cart during your livestream and checkout immediately.

2. Shoppable Videos: These are videos that have links on them that allow users to buy products without having to leave said video.

   • Trying to figure out how to make your videos shoppable, but have a Tiktok Shop? Simply just create a normal video as you would, select “Add Link” and then link the product highlighted in your video.

3. Product Showcase: If you go to your main account, a customer can tab the shopping tab on your page, which is that cute lil’ bag icon and access your storefront.

4. Shoppable Ads: We all know that ideally the way to success is a solid organic strategy leveraged with paid media. These ads not only allow you to target your spending efforts, but allow you to tag your products easily on the creative.

5. Tiktok Shop, naturally.

BEST PRACTICES FOR TIKTOK SHOP

• Optimize Your TikTok Shop Page

  • Clear Product Listings: Use high-quality images and videos, concise product descriptions, and accurate tags. I’ve had an account get non-stop violations because we didn’t know how clear the product descriptions had to be. If you’re an Amazon seller as well, it’s very similar to how detailed you need to get on an Amazon listing.

  • Engage With Reviews: Respond to comments or reviews on your shop to build trust.

  • SEO Keywords: Use keywords in your product titles and descriptions to help users discover your items.

• Create Content That Sells Without Feeling Like an Ad

  • Leverage Trends: Do what makes sense. If there’s a way to make a trend brand friendly for you or a place to plug a product easily, test it.

  • Show Products in Action: Demonstrate how to use your products in everyday life. For example, Cakes Body has one of my fave accounts in the space of how to do the above, this, and all of the below.

  • Storytelling: Create content that tells a story, making your product the solution to a relatable problem.

  • Build Community

    • Reply to Comments: Engage with your audience by responding to comments and DMs or making reply videos by leveraging those comments.

    • Feature User-Generated Content: Repost videos from customers who use your product.

    • Behind-the-Scenes Content: Show how your products are made or packaged to build transparency and trust.

• Partner With Creators

  • Find Niche Influencers: Work with creators who have an engaged audience aligned with your product’s demographic.

  • Affiliate Programs: Use TikTok's affiliate program to incentivize creators to promote your products for a commission. They might create videos around their own experience with your product or push people to a certain sale for your product like this one for Bloom Nutrition.

  • Product Seeding: Send products to creators to test and share their experiences authentically. Tiktok shop or not, you know how I feeeeel. There is power in numbers. If you have the inventory, use it to your advantage.

Honestly, one of my favorite brands who is also just new to the market crushing it in how they work with creators is David Protein. They know the difference niches of creators to work across (the gym-goer, the protein obsessed, the macro counter, the low-carb/wellness girlie, etc) and how to leverage their content for paid and the hooks that work for folks to stay involved in the content made. See below:

• Go Live Strategically

  • TikTok Shop LIVE: Host live shopping events where you demo products, answer questions, and offer limited-time discounts.

  • Schedule Around Peak Times: Analyze when your audience is most active and plan lives accordingly.

• Leverage Paid Ads

  • Spark Ads: Boost organic creator posts to reach a wider audience while retaining authenticity.

  • Product Showcase Ads: Use TikTok Shop-specific ad formats to drive traffic directly to your product listings.

  • A/B Testing: Test different creatives, sounds, and ad formats to see what resonates most.

• Offer Promotions and Bundles

  • Exclusive TikTok Discounts: Encourage purchases by offering discounts exclusively on TikTok that customers may not be able to get in other places. Obviously, be mindful here and don’t get tooooo crazy with it.

  • Bundles: Create value-packed bundles that feel like a deal. For example, OSEA offers their crowd-fave Body Oil (my holy grail during winter tbh) and was adding a free Body Polish to orders via Tiktok Shop (watch here). I also enjoy how OSEA is leveraging the bundle feature to create holiday gifting experiences for folks on the app for a solid deal.

    • This Forbes article from June even states how Tiktok Shop can be a great holiday addition, especially if you have a Gen Z audience. According to Forbes, “In TikTok Shop’s first U.S. holiday shopping season (2023), 5% of all American consumers shopped the site for gifts, Capital One reports. Among those millions of shoppers: 15% of all Gen Z and 8% of Millennials. Based on TikTok Shop’s user growth, the share of U.S. consumers who spend at least part of their holiday budgets on TikTok Shop will be noteworthy in 2024. Retailers, brands and independent merchants that aren’t testing the platform yet could miss out on this seasonal opportunity.”

  • Limited-Time Offers: Use urgency and scarcity to drive conversions. This can look like a few different thing IMO! One thing I have been seeing so much of lately is brands creating Tiktok-only SKUs. For example, Bon-Bon (everyone’s go-to for Swedish candy) made a Tiktok-Shop exclusive candy mix that you can order. Some others brand doing the same include Liquid IV with their Firecracker flavor that took over the FYPs of everyone around the country.

AHEAD OF THE TRENDS

A quick, snappy ode to the fun things I am seeing online across creators, social and brands. Sometimes, it’s a trend. Sometimes, it’s just a tip I want to share when it comes to marketing. TLDR; it’s just things that are cool.

• Product of the Week: Firehook Crackers. I don’t care that they are like $9 a box at Whole Foods. They bring me joy. I love having the plain salted original with some Chocolate Bitchin’ Sauce which is basically brownie batter in a container.

• Account I Am Crushing On: Not an account, but a person. I watched MARTHA on Netflix and despite how I know she is spoken about in the industry, this movie was INSANELY good. I felt inspired and motivated by her work enough to even DM her and shoot my shot in trying to get to team to answer questions around her thoughts when it came to building her empire as she really is one of the first true influencers and understood the power of content and correct repurposing and distribution. If anyone here knows her or her team, uhm feel free to help your girl out <333

LOGGING OFF FOR NOW

That’s it for this week! As always, thank you for letting me steal a spot in your inbox.

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If you have just joined, you can read all of the past editions right here. See you on Thursday where we are chatting about retail and social strategy heading into 2025 and all the things I have learned about spending the last 11+ months finding the perfect formula to maximize impressions, reach, awareness, and more.

Peace, love, and KPIs

-KD